In a startling revelation under the Right to Information Act, the state government has admitted that performance of about 20 to 42 per cent of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers was not evaluated for a period ranging between one and four years.
Information, sought by activist Shailesh Gandhi, showed the state's inconsistency in filing appraisal document called the 'annual confidential report' (ACR).
As per the information, 42 per cent of the ACRs for 2004-2005 were overdue for over 16 months and in 20 per cent cases the reports were not received for four years.
Gandhi said his first attempt in April yielded no information. He was told that it was personal information. "The first Appellate Authority claimed that the officer who denied me information was right," Gandhi added. He filed second appeal before the Information Commissioner who ruled that there was no ground for refusal.
As per the rules, supervisory officers (also IAS) fill his/her junior's ACR. For example: A divisional commissioner assesses the performance of district collectors reporting to him. IAS officers are primarily responsible for formulating the government policies and their implementation at various levels.
The ACRs are then forwarded to the General Administration Department in Mantrayala, where promotions and postings are decided on the basis of these reports.
{{/usCountry}}The ACRs are then forwarded to the General Administration Department in Mantrayala, where promotions and postings are decided on the basis of these reports.
{{/usCountry}}The rules also say that ACR has to be submitted by July of each succeeding year. Ideally, the ACR for 2005-2006 should have been submitted by August this year. However, the state didn't provide these figures to Gandhi.
Chief secretary DK Sankaran could not be contacted despite several attempts.